Small MPU – Page 1389
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News
Kinowelt may be forced into insolvency
Just four days ahead of the presentation of its nine-month figures on November 30, embattled German media concern Kinowelt Medien may now have to file for insolvency after ABN Amro Bank announced its intention to call in loans of more than $45.1m (DM 100m) to Kinowelt as from November 28.In ...
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Ian George replaces Maj-Britt Kirchner at Pathe UK
Maj-Britt Kirchner is stepping down as managing director of the UK's Pathe Distribution at the end of the year, Francois Ivernel, managing director of Pathe UK, announced on Monday.Deputy managing director Ian George, who joined Pathe with Kirchner in 1999 from Warner Bros.' UK theatrical arm, will replace the Swedish-born ...
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Winchester Films engages 'comedy Czar'
UK theatrical distributor Winchester Films has engaged local comedian and author David Baddiel to source and develop a strand of British comedy projects.Baddiel, an established stand-up comedian and novelist is best known as co-creator of the 1990s cult show Fantasy Football with Frank Skinner."David's role is to be like a ...
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UK's Film Council backs French-language title
The UK's Film Council's Premiere Fund for commercially-oriented films is pumping $700,000 (£500,000) into its first foreign-language production, French director Patrice Leconte's L'Homme Du Train.Pathe will distribute the comedy drama in the UK, while Pathe International is handling international sales. Shooting started this month in France, with Philippe Carcassonne producing ...
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Icon buys Australian rights for Swimfan
Icon Film Distribution is believed to have bought Australian rights for the teen thriller Swimfan, from sales agent Cobalt. It is the second film and first offshore outing from local director John Polson, working under the umbrella of GreeneStreet Films and Michael Douglas's Furthur Films. Erika Christensen, Jesse Bradford and ...
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Iranian films dominate Hyderbad awards
Iranian films dominated awards at the 12th International Film Festival in Hyderbad, India. Children Of Petroleum directed by Ebrahim Forouzesh won the Golden Elephant for the best feature film in the international competition. The Silver Elephant for the best director went to Rassul Sadr Ameli for Iranian film Girl In ...
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Sundance gets its quirky groove back
It will not justbe the visibly heightened security measures that will lend next year's Sundance Film Festival a distinctive new flavour; the competition filmsthemselves are liable to provoke rather different audience and industry responses than in recent years, say selectors.Many of thedramatic feature films that will vie for various jury ...
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News
Universal targets Latino market with Arenas Group
Universal Pictures has teamed up with The Arenas Group, an advertising, PR and talent management firm focused on the US Latino market, to form Arenas Entertainment, a new film label to acquire, produce, finance, market and distribute films for Hispanic audiences worldwide.The deal was struck to form the company by ...
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Reviews
The Affair Of The Necklace
Dir. Charles Shyer. US 2001. 117mins.Much of the dramatic juice and historical intrigue has been drained out of The Affair Of The Necklace, an old-fashioned costume drama that suffers from being stiff, stuffy and banal. In her first major role after a well-deserved Best Actress Oscar for Boys Don't ...
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Reviews
Behind Enemy Lines
Dir: John Moore. US 2001. 105 mins The US military couldn't have asked for a more effective recruitment tool than this rousing, high-concept action feature about a young navy pilot trapped behind enemy lines in Bosnia, who must outwit and evade his legion of pursuers until the Marines can arrive ...
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News
Spy Game, Heist no match for Potter's Mettle
The phenomenon that is Harry Potter continues to exceed expectations in the UK, dropping a mere 13% on its second weekend and becoming the second highest earner of the year so far with its $41m to date. To put the film's astonishing results into context: in just 10 days Potter ...
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News
Mediability is first German film fund to collapse
Launched just five months ago, Mediability has become the first casualty among the recent wave of German private media funds; unable to raise sufficient cash from investors for its three proposed animation series: Frog, Thorgal,and Baron Muenchhausen, the Munich-based equity fund has now filed for insolvency.Ellipse Deutschland, the German arm ...
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Paramount taps latest German fund
Having already accessed German private film funds initiated this year by Alcas and Bayerische Immobilien-Leasing (BIL)/Deutsche Bank, Paramount Pictures is set to benefit from a new German private equity fund launched by SachsenFonds and EastMerchant.The Euros 52.7m MMP Investitions GmbH & Co. 2001 KG will be inviting private individuals to ...
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News
Japan's SunCent restructures, loses president
Beset by red ink, leading Japanese independent producer SunCent Cinema Works has relocated to the headquarters of its parent Wowow , while president and founder Takenori Sento is preparing to exit the company and launch a new production venture, Rumble Fish. SunCent will continue to manage the rights for the ...
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News
EM.TV CFO exits after only three months
After just three months in the job as EM.TV & Merchandising's CFO Marius Schwarz (pictured) is exiting the company at the behest of CEO Werner Klatten and with the consent of the supervisory board.As of November 27, the executive board will consist of only two members - Klatten, who will ...
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News
Columbia TriStar, BVI scrap Colombian venture
Columbia TriStar and Buena Vista International are to dissolve their joint venture in Colombia from Jan 1st, 2002. Columbia TriStar is thought most likely to create an alliance with UIP and BVI will sub-distribute its product through the new joint venture. The move follows the split between the ...
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Mein Stern scoops Turin Festival's top prize
Valeska Grisebach's Mein Stern has scooped the top prize at this year's Turin Film Festival, Italy's prestigious cutting-edge event which is dedicated to emerging directors.The Austrian-German film about teenage love was awarded $18,000 (40,000,000 ITL), after being praised by the jury for its "timing and perfect, realistic acting." Meanwhile, Iran's ...
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Loss of Warner films final straw for Kinowelt'
Less than 24 hours before Kinowelt's deadline (on November 28) to persuade ABN Amro Bank to retract its plan to call in loans totalling around $63.2m (DM 140m), what may be the final nail has been hammered into the beleaguered German company's coffin with the news that the 1999 ...
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News
ThinkFilm buys Sundance premiere Altar Boys
Canadian-financed North American distributor ThinkFilm has picked up all North American rights to Peter Care's The Dangerous Lives Of Altar Boys which will receive its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival next year.The film is produced by Jodie Foster's Egg Pictures and stars Foster along with Kieran Culkin, Jena ...
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Children Underground, Startup.com share IDA prize
The International Documentary Association (IDA) has named its 2001 distinguished achievement awards to be presented on Dec 7 in Los Angeles. Edet Belzberg's Children Underground and Startup.com co-directed by Chris Hegedus and Jehane Noujam share the top honours in the feature length competition.Eric Simonson's On Tiptoe: Gentle Steps To Freedom ...